Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1887-10-06
lacks REFORMATIoN.


partaken so freely of both the solid and
the liquid that he was puzzled as to
which to attribute his unsteady gait. II
was O'Clock in the morning. He had
lust left the elevated railroad and was
zigzagging homeward with his white
hat on the back Of his head and hs
hands in his pockets, singing softly to
himself:
The man in the moon Is looking love;
He's winking ,love; he's blinking ,love;
And each little star will tell
Here Jack ran against a tree and lost
the thread Of his song. After recover
ing his at,which had rolled in the gut
ter, Jack resumed his journey, and
turning up quiet side street climbed
up front stoop and sat down upon the
topmost step. The moon was shining
brightly and paling the street lamps.
The horizon was let up with glow like
that of q prairie fire, and the chimneys
across the way stood out black and dis.
tinct against the glowing background.
From far down the street he could hear
a party Of serenaders singing an old
song which sounded familiar to him.
Jack was beginning TO get sohered. He
put his followed hand behind his ear
and listened. Yes, although he could
not hear the words, the serenaders were
so far away, he could supply them him
self
There's heart beating for somebody,
Lighting the home he loves best,
Warming the bosom of somebody
Warming the bosom of somebody
oh
and the ooh" came waited down the
street in a tuneful little cadence which
died away like a sob in the distance.
The song brought 10 Jacks remem-
brance an old-fashioned farmhouse on a
Vermont hillside. There were horse
hair chairs in the room and picture of
Washington and his family on the wall.
In the corner stood a little melodeon
with sQueaky bellows, the complaining
of which he could hear even now
through all the intervening years. Be
fore the melodeon sat young girl
whose blue scarf matched the color of
her eyes and who was playing the very
tune he had just heard. The "oh !" at
the end of the song came softly to him
out Of the past and it seemed to Jack to
have something of regret in it. Jack
took off his hat and ran his hands
through his hair. He lapsed into remi-
nisceuce again and remembered how he
had married the blue-eyed girl and
brought her to the big roaring city
how the babies had come one after a.
mother until they had three; how his lit
tie woman's eyes had lost some of their
lustre from weeping ,and how he stayed
out la.e o. nights drinking beer when
he should have been home looking after
the welfare of his wife and babies. BY
this time Jack was thoroughly sobered
and repentant. He felt in his pocket
for his latchkey, but the key wasn't
there. He didn't care TO ring the bell,
because he was afraid of his wife's an.
ger. The window had been left up be-
cause the night was warm, but he thrust
his hands between the blind Stats and
tried to undo the fastening. A low
growl made him withdraw his hand
quickly. Then it occurred to him that
it was only his setter dog, and he
whistled softly to the dog and the ami
NAL whined recognition. After strGg-
Cling with the fastening until be sue
ceeded In unfastening the window he
lodged on the window sill when he tried
to climb in, and, loaded as he was, teet-
cred back and forth, at the imminent
risk of tumbling into the stone base
ment below. AT Last he rolled into the
room with a thump which shook the
whole house. He had just gathered up
his bruised body and placed it upon the
sofa wheE the door opened and his wife
made her appearance.
so you've returned, have you,' said
she sarcastically, while her eyes blazed
like ardent Goals. THE baby is sick
with the Group upstairs, but of course
you don't care anything about that.
We might all be taken down with The
cholera and you wouldn't know any
thing about it. L suppose you've had
a very pleasant time to-day with your
friends, and are as drunk as usual.
This thing has gone on as long as it is
possible to last. Get down, Royer. l
could curse you, sir. Even the dog is
better protector than you are. I hate
you. That's what I think of you.' and
she struck him blow in the face with
the fiat of her hand which made his
head ring. oh. you deceitful wretch,
if had pistol would shoot you,' she
continued.
Jack gritted his teeth together and
clenched his hands. He half arose
from the sofa, and then his good sense
prevailed and he resumed his seat. The
door closed with bang behind his wife
and he was left alone in the room with
the dog.
'Old fellow said Jack, taking the
dogs silky ears in his hands and look
ing down into the dogs brown eyes,
'old fellow, things is getting mighty
warm around here, aren't they p
The dog thumped his tail and emit
ted short bark.
And somebody's to blame, eh, old
fellow p
The dog put his forepaws on Jacks
knees and whined.
THE little woman exaggerates my
weakness, but in the main she's about
right. What dye think p
The unfailing barometer of dogs E.
motion, his tail, played tattoo on the
ID hn Q he